Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will meet former US President Donald Trump on Sunday, December 28, to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. He told reporters that a proposed 20-point peace plan is “about 90% ready.”
This meeting is part of a major US-led diplomatic effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which has now lasted nearly four years. However, talks remain difficult because Russia and Ukraine have very different demands.
Zelenskyy made these comments after revealing that he had a “good conversation” on Thursday, December 25, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Kremlin Confirms Talks with US Envoys
Russia has also confirmed ongoing contacts with the United States. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, December 26, that Russian officials had already spoken with US representatives after Kirill Dmitriev, a senior Russian envoy, met American envoys in Florida.
“It was agreed upon to continue the dialogue,” Peskov said.
Trump Pushing for an End to the War
Donald Trump is trying to lead diplomatic efforts to stop the war that began on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But negotiations are complicated because Moscow and Kyiv are taking very different positions.
Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, December 23, that he would consider pulling Ukrainian troops out of the eastern industrial region if Russia also withdraws and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international peacekeepers.
Russia Refuses to Withdraw from Occupied Areas
Even though Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that there had been “slow but steady progress” in talks, Russia has not agreed to leave any occupied land.
Moscow has demanded that Ukraine give up the parts of the Donbas region it still controls. Ukraine has rejected this demand. Russia has already captured most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk, the two regions that form the Donbas.
Fresh Attacks Kill and Injure Civilians
The fighting on the ground continues. On Friday, local officials said one person was killed and three others were injured when a guided bomb hit a house in the Zaporizhzhia region. In the city of Uman, six people were hurt in a missile attack.
Russian drones also struck the city of Mykolaiv and nearby areas overnight, leaving parts of the city without electricity. Drone attacks damaged energy and port facilities in the Black Sea city of Odesa as well.
Ukraine Hits Russian Oil Refinery
Ukraine said it carried out a major strike on a Russian oil refinery on Thursday using UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces hit the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia’s Rostov region.
“Multiple explosions were recorded. The target was hit,” it said on Telegram.
Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed that a firefighter was injured while trying to put out the fire.
Ukraine has been targeting Russian oil facilities to reduce Moscow’s export income, which helps fund the war. Russia, meanwhile, is trying to damage Ukraine’s power system to cut off heat, electricity, and water. Ukrainian officials say this is an attempt to “weaponize winter.”